[ Academia ] [ Litigation ] [ Regulatory & Policy ] as a Key Elective : The best lawyers are known for their judgment and problem-solving abilities. Most clients do not expect their lawyers to confine themselves to the law, but rather expect a lawyer to integrate legal considerations with other factors, which may include business, financial and psychological issues. This course seeks to prepare students for their roles as creative problem solvers, and to offer them ways to improve decision-making and develop professional judgment.

General course
Description:

(Same as PUBLPOL305A/IPS207A)This course explores theories and research on heuristics and biases in human inference, judgment, and decision making as well as experimental and theoretical work in prospect theory (particularly the phenomena of loss and risk aversion), support theory, and more generally the challenges that psychology offers to the rationalist expected utility model. In addition, it examines attempts to meet this challenge through integration with contributions of modern behavioral economics; decision-making biases and phenomena of special relevance to public policy, such as group polarization, "group think," the problem of collective action, and other influences on decision-making.

Course Style: A Substantive/ Perspective course looks at law from an external or non-traditional standpoint.